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David Cage Calls For Progress, Depth, And Meaning

We now know that Heavy Rain is a success, and we couldn't be happier. We're also relieved to learn that due to such success, Quantic Dream boss David Cage will stick with the industry.

In speaking to GamesTM, David Cage talks about the advent of motion control and the future of gaming. If you didn't already know, a special "Move Edition" of Heavy Rain is on the way, but that doesn't necessarily mean Cage's team will be dedicating future projects to the new technology. Said Cage:

"For me, emotion is everything. If you can create an experience that is emotionally engaging and though provoking I don’t have anything against using motion control. But are motion controllers the magic solution to our content issues? I don’t think so. Yes, it will be a very useful device for many people who have difficulties using the standard controllers, but if we cannot offer anything more than tennis games we are not going to hold their interest for very long. Content is the key to everything. Once you have the right content, you can make it work with any type of device."

He also spoke about "breaking free" from the traditional patterns and structures in gaming today, and that we need something new for the future. In fact, Cage said that if Heavy Rain had flopped, he "probably would have left the industry." ...and if that had happened, we would've lost someone we definitely need. We still have yet to hear early info concerning Quantic's new title (apparently called Horizon) but according to Cage's comments, you can bet it'll be geared towards an intelligent, mature audience.

"My point of view is certainly very marginal in the industry right now, but I continue to believe that the future of games lies in reaching an adult audience, not the way the Wii does, but in creating interactive experiences that carry depth and meaning, and trigger complex emotions. We should invent new ways of playing to get rid of loops, mechanics and patterns, as well as stop limiting ourselves to ultra-violent themes."

Bottom line? He says it'd be "stupid" not to try to progress, as there are "so many new ways of playing that we cannot even think of" just yet. If we don't push forward and continue to cater to adults, and we remain mired in the kid/teenager culture, Cage believes the industry could be in big trouble. But hey, he's still around, and so are guys like Hideo Kojima and developers like Naughty Dog and TGC (thatgamecompany). We'll be okay, right?

Ok, so I totally agree with the progress on gaming that he is talking about, and that, as he also said, it is necesary for the industry to move forward. But that sometimes can be dangerous.

2008 we had Valkyria Chronicles, which revolutionized the SRPG genre, by adding some neat features. Last year we had Uncharted 2, a movie-like game, with very VERY few flaws, and this year we had Heavy Rain, haven't played it so I cannot say much about it.

But sometimes some developers want to progress, but they do it the wrong way. SE wanted to expand their audience, to make a "progress" by making their games appeal to many, but what happens?? They fail. The Wii tried to progress on videogames, and it did by giving us the motion controller system, but the developers saw this progress as an "ok, now let's reach to casual gamers" leaving this revolutionary console without what it could have done.

While From Software made Demon's Souls just how they wanted it without regard to heavily targeting groups.

Same is true with ICO/Shadow of Colossus

You can tell Metal Gear Solid is not fully targeted either. It's a story based game. Whoever likes it, likes it. Kojima's not about to target the game to any which group heavily. And even if he does in some way it's because it fits his vision.

"make games for the ps3 regardless of what your vision for your game is. Demon's Souls, Flower, Heavy Rain, Littlebigplanet. We have proven that our console is the most varied and the most fruitful console for devs wanting to make a solid and passionate game."

When Sony was the leader (ps1/ps2) they lead by example and others followed.

Sadly America and Microsoft has dramatically altered that. Sad, it's just so sad.

Totally agree. You can't have progress without pushing the envelope of what is expected.

There was a time when I almost gave up gaming. One of my friends at the time introduced me to the FF series with FFVI. Watching that ending and all the little bits of the storyline during the game, made me crave better content in my games.

I'm glad that I stuck with gaming. Taking part of a good story driven game is a real treat.

I like this guy. He's got the right ideals and motives for what we need to move forward in turning gaming into a viable entertainment medium in the eyes of those people yet unwilling to believe. His ideas to create emotionally engaging stories, believable characters and new methods of gameplay are to be applauded. A true innovator.

Now, I'm not saying that every game needs to have the emotional intensity of Heavy Rain, or the plot intricacies of Metal Gear Solid, as some games are simply there to kill the hours by killing the enemies, and I'm cool with that. There are some days when I'm just that wound up that there's nothing I want to do more than throw on Resistance and rip a few holes in Chimera. That needs to stay. The ultraviolence of games will always be a requirement, as more than any other medium it is a way to get that stress out.

But yes. Creating games that grab the player in the way that some classic literature grabs the reader is definitely one way to move the industry forward, and it is definitely something that I would like to see. However, I feel that too much of it would lead simply to disappointment as it (like FPSs now) saturate the market and become so common that you can't swing a cat without hitting one. I don't think that that is such a large thing to worry about though, as I feel the large majority of gamers would prefer to avoid Heavy Rain style games like the plague.
/rant
Peace.

And here's a bunch of Youtube videos: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=fahrenheit+video+game&aq=0

FYI, if you plan to find it, make sure you try to get the European "Fahrenheit" version just because cause it has more mature content than the N.American copy(which the publisher made him change or chop out some parts to tame it down a bit because they were afraid it wouldn't get an allowable rating).Last edited by BikerSaint on 9/1/2010 3:53:26 AM

motion control has its appeal, but it only works with certain games.i seriously can not imagine playing a platformer for example with motion controls.they certainly have there place, but there not the fit all genre people would have you believe.i cant wait to see what hes working on next, hopefully it will be as story driven and emotional as heavy rain.i was always one of the skeptics, i always said games cant portray emotions, games cant make you feel the way the characters in the game would feel in a specific certain.it was such a breath of fresh air to play heavy rain, not only was it so different, it was also so immersive i have never been sucked into a game as much as heavy rain.

mafia 2 for example, i love that game, the story, the gameplay everything is really enjoyable.but do i give a sh*t about any of the characters?nope.do i feel for any of the characters?nope.that just goes to show how far heavy rain has taken storytelling in video games, its the first and probably only for a long time game that truly makes the player feel for the characters.

The man speaks the truth. All the surveys show that the average age of gamers is somewhere in the mid thirties - video games got popular in the early '80s and there are a whole ton of us who started out back then and we sill enjoy gaming and we've got a lot of purchasing power now. The game industry could definitely find some good profits in making more games aimed specifically at an older audience. It's a real untapped market.

@ JackC8 - Absolutely. I'm 43 years old and came up through the Atari's, Intellivision, Odyssy PS123, so I am a mature gamer and its refreshing to hear this guy's comments. Video gaming is a part of my life that I probably will never let go. I have a nice job and I will continue to buy games if they are appealing and cater to my 43 year old preferences.

Mr. Cage is right when he said the industry could be in trouble, however the trouble is coming when game developers who feel its their duty to shove gamaplay to the side while shoving storyline and all of this cinematic stuff down gamers throats.

As somebody who have been playing video games for 20+ years I miss the days when video games were 100% about gameplay and fun and we didn't worry about or whether the game was cinematic, even to the point of feeling emotionally attached to a bunch of 1's and 0's that don't exist. If anything guess the whole idea of a cinematic experience is nothing but an excuse to cover-up the fact that the industry have hit a wall can't come up with ideas to even make games fun anymore; its no wonder why I find myself wanting to give up on video games at times.

"Totally agree. You can't have progress without pushing the envelope of what is expected."

The only progress this industry need is getting back to its roots of making challenging game, something that have been absent for years now.

I disagree. I think all types of games have their place even the ones with a heavy emphasis on cinematics. It is a design choice not always a crutch and I would hate to see all games take a pure gameplay/challenge route because that would get boring.

Variety is important and one of the great things about games is the limitless types of experiences they offer.

I absolutely agree with David's sentiments about content. I know it's a major factor that motivates my interests when selecting games.

While I'm not a big GTA guy, years ago Rockstar said similar things about GTA3. They believed that content-driven gameplay was key for success. GTA has gone on to become one of the largest video game franchises ever.

I certainly agree with his sentiments and think gaming is the industry that not only has the most innovation, but can continue to grow.

The problem lies in when people try to innovate and we get crap games (Brutal Legend) or we get great games that are completely ignored by the gaming masses (Red Faction Guerrilla). I guess there'll always be that hit and miss, but good games deserve good sales.

I have given up on demos. They have been lying to me a lot this gen. RFG is an absolutely fantastic single and multiplayer experience. Using that hammer never gets old. And the graphics aren't that bad. Considering it goes for 6 bucks at Target, it's an unbelievable value.

Quantic Dream and David Cage is definitely one of my favorite game developers right now! Considering everyone says the average gamer is over 30 years old it really is sad that so few games are made for adults, meaning mature games with a good story and character development, and not the way is is right now when 99% of games are all about shooting, shooting and more shooting...